HYDRA Halts Illegal Dumping at Mella Cheruvu
Over half of 108-acre lake is encroached; inlets are blocked, officials find
Hyderabad: HYDRAA claimed on Friday that it had stopped illegal soil and rock dumping at Mella Cheruvu, where more than half the 108-acre lake had been filled with debris. Residents had complained to HYDRAA that floodwater was being blocked from entering the lake as inlets were deliberately obstructed.
Medak BJP MP M. Raghunandan Rao also submitted a written complaint to HYDRAA commissioner A. V. Ranganath about the lake situation.
After field inspections, HYDRAA found that more than half of the lake area had been filled. Land within the full tank level (FTL) of lakes can only be used for farming, and changing the nature of the lake land is a serious violation.
HYDRAA removed illegal bunds and barriers in the morning and fenced nearly 40 acres within the FTL to prevent further soil dumping, and completed the work by afternoon. Officials took measures to ensure farming activities were not affected.
In a separate action in Rangareddy district, HYDRAA said it had removed an illegal compound wall in Pedda Amberpet village. The wall, which was illegally built on the roadways of Sabari Hills layout, was blocking access to plot owners. Following complaints from plot owners, HYDRAA conducted a survey and found that nearly 4,000 sq. yds of layout land had been encroached upon. Authorities removed the wall and restored access to the roads.
